The present invention relates to a module and a device for emitting a light beam and to an associated headlamp. One preferred application of the invention relates to the automobile industry for the production of lighting devices, notably of vehicle headlamps.
Modules are known for emitting a light beam with a cut-off profile, notably for automobile vehicles. In particular, modules are known comprising two optical collectors designed to collect the light emitted by light sources and to redirect the light collected toward a focal region where a cut-off element is situated configured for generating the cut-off profile of the light beam to be projected by means of a lens.
In the modules known to those skilled in the art, the light sources and associated collectors are oriented in the direction of the cut-off element aligned in the optical axis of the device, as described in the French patent document FR2934667.
Such a configuration has the drawback of not allowing any improvement in the compactness of the whole of the device. This is because the size of the collectors and the presence of the cut-off element between the two collectors limit how close the optical sources can be brought together. If they are brought closer than a certain distance, the end of the collectors oriented in the direction of the cut-off element collides with the cut-off element.
This is particularly a drawback for the design of small aperture systems with the use of a thin lens in which the collimator must be brought as close as possible to the plane comprising the cut-off element.
Several size constraints associated with the collector also limit the possibility of making the existing lighting systems for automobile vehicles more compact.
Firstly, the collector must have sufficiently large dimensions in order to collect a maximum amount of light coming from the light source.
Secondly, the collection area of the collector designed to redirect the light toward a focal region must be larger than the dimensions of the surface of the light source in order to allow a correct focusing in the focal region.
Thirdly, the entry surface of the collector must be sufficiently far from the light source owing to the thermal constraints.